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Maverick NM lawmaker gets back in state Senate race

SANTA FE — A former Democratic New Mexico lawmaker known for frequently voting with Republicans is back in contention for a state Senate seat representing parts of the Navajo Nation, under a court order issued Tuesday.

Maverick NM lawmaker gets back in state Senate race

SANTA FE — A former Democratic New Mexico lawmaker known for frequently voting with Republicans is back in contention for a state Senate seat representing parts of the Navajo Nation, under a court order issued Tuesday.

Sandra Jeff was returned to the Democratic primary ballot to run against incumbent Sen. Benny Shendo, D-Jemez Pueblo, under a settlement agreement with state election officials. A Santa Fe District Court judge approved the settlement before canceling a public hearing Tuesday.

The Democratic primary is likely to decide who holds the seat because no one filed for the Republican nomination.

The Secretary of State's Office disqualified Jeff from the primary after noting that she had failed to pay accumulated fines of $1,050 for missing a campaign finance reporting deadline by nearly a month in early 2015.

Jeff, member of the Navajo Nation, filed an appeal asserting that state election officials overstepped their authority by proposing that she resolve the matter by closing out her campaign account and then disqualifying her.

The legal challenges are not yet over.

Shendo, the incumbent, has filed a complaint in district court saying that Jeff lives outside the Senate district where she is running for office. An attorney for Shendo said the incumbent missed an earlier opportunity to submit the challenge because Jeff already had been disqualified by state officials.

Zach Cook, an attorney for Jeff and a Republican member of the state House of Representatives, said that Jeff resides in Crownpoint within Senate District 22 as required.

Jeff became a swing vote in the House when Democrats still held a narrow majority, supporting Republican Gov. Susana Martinez on key votes.

Jeff was disqualified from running in a Democratic primary for her House seat in 2014 for not collecting enough signatures on a nominating petition and lost later as a write-in candidate in the general election by a wide margin.

Court documents show Jeff has campaign debts of nearly $28,000 left over from the 2014 election cycle. That's when legal fees to a Santa Fe law firm mounted as Jeff appealed her election disqualification to the state Supreme Court and lost.

Republicans currently control the New Mexico House by a 37-33 seat advantage. Democrats control the Senate, 24-18.